GADSDEN COUNTY, FL — A first-year youth farm program is giving 64 boys ages 9 to 15 hands-on experience in agriculture, teamwork and responsibility at a 162-acre farm.
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Participants take part in daily activities including cutting grass, yard work, planting, fishing, tractor operation and team-building exercises designed to build discipline and leadership.
The farm also gives students access to a private lake for fishing, wide open land for agricultural training, and structured outdoor lessons meant to introduce them to real farming environments.
Sharlentia Holt, an Owner of H&V Farms, says early exposure to these skills can open doors that don't require a traditional four-year degree.
"Once you learn at a younger age, it can take you a long way. There are several different job opportunities that you could have without actually going to college, that you could learn to build a career off of and have a good living off of," Holt said.
Christopher Holt, who is also an Owner of H&V Farms, says the program's mission goes beyond agriculture.
"What I'm looking forward to the most is — I know we can't save them all, but if we can just save one, if we could just reach that one and teach that one, I consider our job as done," Christopher Holt said.
Dexter Wright, Owner of First Class Cuts and a program partner, says community leaders have a responsibility to invest time in young people.
"These young men should be equipped to go on throughout their lives, whether it's in the business of barbering or living off the land or just fishing to feed themselves and their families. So it's very important that young men like myself and Christopher and his wife and his other partners that he has, that we take the time away from our busy schedules to pour into the youth," Wright said.
Organizers say the program is designed to keep kids active, focused, and engaged while teaching life lessons that extend far beyond the farm. They hope it continues to grow and become a long-term resource for youth in the community, giving more boys a chance to learn, lead and succeed.
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